Gross alpha and beta activities of sand sediments and heavy metal concentration in selected rivers of Aniocha South, Delta State

Abstract

The concentrations of gross alpha and gross beta radioactivity were analyzed in Aniocha South LGA of Delta State. Sediments were collected from randomly selected points on three major rivers in the LGA characterized by human activities, overpopulation, and industrialization. Standard methods were deployed for determination of gross alpha and gross beta radioactivity ineach sample by using an eight channel gas flow proportional counter and also to determine the concentrations of Cd, Pb, Cu and As in the water samples were done using chemical fraction method. The results show that the range of gross alpha and gross beta activity in the river sand sediment is 0.00014-0.00020 Bq/kg and 2.68-5.20 Bq/kg respectively. These results appear to be lower when compared with values from previous studies throughout the world, and WHO recommended limit. The results in this study showed that Pb, Cu, and As in the three river water samples are below the WHO recommended limit of 0.05, 1.5 and 0.05 ppm except for the value of Cd which is higher than the recommended limit of 0.005 ppm in one river water respectively. The pH level for the water samples was below World Health Organization (WHO) limit of 8.0. Similarly, the study could be a reference data for future research related to radiological mapping or environmental monitoring in the area.